


Partners In Mischief

by clytemnestras



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Gen, Kid!Lock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-10
Updated: 2014-02-10
Packaged: 2018-01-11 21:54:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1178364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clytemnestras/pseuds/clytemnestras
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pranks are in order.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Partners In Mischief

 

Jim didn't play with the other children. It wasn't for lack of trying -  apparently playing British Bulldog with cricket balls, whilst causing broken bones and much hilarity for him, didn't win Jim many friends. It did win him terror, though, and that was just as fun; maybe _more_ fun. Now he always got picked first in PE, and they had all stopped making fun of his "funny" accent. Besides, he liked to watch them play. It made him feel like some great monarch overseeing the lesser peoples of his kingdom.

 

Today's game was Kiss-Chase, and all the girls were running around, squealing (pigs squeal, usually before the die; he noted) and giggling as they dodged clammy, yucky _boy-hands._

 

 Almost all of the girls.

 

There was one, a raven-haired, pale little girl; graceful and without the clumsiness of the rest who was hiding behind the plastic Wendy house, holding a skipping rope that was tied to a fence across the path.

 

He stared at her, eyes glued to the scene. She dropped the rope to the ground as a giggling girl with curly hair skipped passed, almost, but not quite tripping and trailing a stuffed rabbit along the ground behind her. Then a blonde boy hot on the girl's tail caught up, chubby fingers grabbing at - wasn't Sally her name? - as the skipping rope pulled taut. There was a crash as Blondie caught his foot on the rope and went skidding along the tarmac.

 

Sally stopped dead, staring with her mouth hanging open at the blubbering blonde at her feet; and the dark-haired girl used that to her advantage. Creeping up behind Sally, she grabbed the other girl by the shoulders and slammed their lips together.

 

Sally sputtered and shoved the other girl away, wiping her mouth on her sleeve with a look of disgust. " _Eww_ , Irene, what are you doing? Girls don't kiss other girls. That's not how it works. You're disgusting!" She stumbled backwards, running towards one of the Year Six prefects on playground duty. "Mr Greg! Mr Greg, Irene kissed me!"

 

Jim grit his teeth. He was angry for Irene. She sat on the tarmac next to the crying blonde boy, holding back tears of her own. She ran the skipping rope through her fingers, lashing it at the ground like a whip. She had thought through and perfectly executed a plan to get what she wanted, and if that Sally girl didn't appreciate it, he'd make sure Irene knew _someone_ did.

 

He walked over to the sniffling girl, stepping over Blondie - giving him a little kick for good measure -  and outstretched a hand. She looked up at him, eyes huge and shiny with tears, as she placed her right hand in his and pulled herself up, brushing dirt off of her red dress with her left.

 

"I'm Jim," he said to her, and she nodded, looking away shyly.

 

"I know who you are. You're the one that got Sherlock to jump off the climbing frame in Bart's Park. I'm Irene." She smiled broadly, something suddenly wicked about her expression.

 

He grinned back. "I saw your little show, Irene. It was a good plan, and I think we need to teach Sally a lesson for ruining it and being mean to you - you don't have to be a boy to kiss a girl. _Partners?_ " He looked down to where their hands were still joined and watched as Irene shook his hand, slowly, like they were making some obscene plot together.

 

"Partners", she said, and nodded curtly, mouth set in a purposeful pout.

 

They ran off, then, hiding in the gap behind the Wendy house as the prefect from Year Six - Greg, who Sally had been crying to - came to tend to the blonde boy on the floor. They giggled as Greg picked him up and carried him to the Nurse's Room, whilst Sally crossed her arms and glared.

 

Jim looked between her scowl and the ratty looking rabbit toy nestled between her arms and came up with the perfect revenge. But he was going to need Irene's help to pull it off…

 

**

 

They both had to make sure they were early for school on Monday. They weren't in the same class, and neither was Sally, but on Monday afternoons everyone sat in the big classroom for circle time - and that was _perfect_.

 

So whilst everyone else was playing football and saying bye to Mummy and Daddy, Jim and Irene were slipping inside the building and putting their plan into action.

 

Afterwards they could hardly contain themselves, giggling every time Sally looked their way. They spent all of play-time imagining the look on her face - on everyone's faces - when she saw…

 

And then all at once it was last lesson and they were all sat around Mrs Hudson's desk waiting for story time to start.

 

"Sally, it's your turn to pick the book, dear. Do you have one in your tray?" Mrs Hudson smiled at the girl who stood up and stuck her tongue out at Sherlock, who, after trying to prove that Sally's turn should be skipped because she'd given Anderson a book when it was his turn, was sitting in the corner and facing the wall (not by choice).

 

Sally then skipped over to her tray, sticking her hand in and feeling around for a book that she couldn't seem to find.

 

Huffing, she yanked the whole drawer out before dropping it to the ground with a scream.

 

Ten severed stuffed bunny heads rolled out of the tray, fluff sticking out  where their necks should be. Sally immediately burst into tears, along with a few other girls in the class. Everyone ran forward,  crowding around the bunny massacre site as Mrs Hudson attempted to calm Sally down.

 

Both Jim and Irene tried their best to look shocked at the horrific scene, stuffing away their laughter. They didn't even smile when Sherlock wandered over and began studying everyone for signs of guilt.

 

The classroom was in pandemonium. Sally was screaming on the floor, Mrs Hudson was yelling for everyone to sit down, whilst John Watson, and Molly Hooper of _all people_ sat poking at the bunny heads  with their pencils like they couldn't figure out what killed them.

 

It all felt like a job well done, until Sherlock Holmes jumped up onto the table and yelled at the top of his lungs "I KNOW WHO THE MURDERER IS!"

 

Silence fell over the classroom. Even Sally stopped crying. Mrs Hudson tried to shoo Sherlock off the table - which became more of a task when John climbed up beside him.

 

"It's simple, really. All you have to do is look at the evidence. Whoever did it must have known that it was Sally's turn today - someone who checked the rota recently. So it was probably someone who recently had a turn. Now, they must know Sally well, because they knew her book was already in the drawer - a friend, then. So who was Sally friends with who she fell out with recently, and whose last name is above "D" in the alphabet? Sherlock grinned, and  turned towards John. "Could you take out Irene Adler's tray, please John? I think you'll find Sally's book in there, because Irene is the toy bunny killer!"

 

John padded along, yanking out the drawer and feeling around, finding it empty except for her skipping rope. "Uh, Sherlock, it's not in here."

 

Sherlock's face fell. He jumped off the table and ran towards Irene, staring at her with narrowed eyes. "What did you do with it? Did you have an accomplice?"

 

She stayed silent. Blue eyes were icy as she stared back a the wannabe detective.

 

Then Molly piped up. "These were cut off with scissors, not a knife. But it was done in a rush because the cuts are all jagged. I think whoever did it cut the heads off here."

 

Sherlock smiled again. "Thank you John," he breathed, ignoring her mumbled _"It's Molly!"_ as he continued to pace up and down before Irene as the final pieces clicked into place. "She had an accomplice, fair enough, things are always better with a partner - " he smiled at John, who smiled back, before continuing, "And as for who that is… well, there's only one person in this class who brings scissors to school." His smile faded as he locked eyes with Jim, then he looked back at the usually sweet Irene. "Why would you pick him? Of all people, why him?" He grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her as if that would make her see sense.

 

That was when Jim stood up and punched Sherlock in the face.

 

There was a blurry fight of chubby limbs  and sloppy punches - Sherlock smacking Jim, Irene kicking at John; a whole tangle of juvenile bodies - until Mrs Hudson shrieked and they all let go. Sally was the one given the task of marching  the four of them to the Head Teacher's office, sneering that they were _all freaks._

 

**

 

Jim, Irene, Sherlock and John sat slumped outside the office for several minutes without speaking, rubbing at their bruises and  staring at the walls. Then they were all laughing. They weren't sure why, but all of this seemed so _silly_. And it wasn't like either Sherlock or John thought Sally hadn't _deserved_ the prank, and both of them liked Irene. It was just Jim that ruined things.

 

Jim and Irene were sat against one wall whilst Sherlock and John sat opposite, stupidly-coloured poster paper falling onto their heads. It took a long time for silence to fall again, and when it did, Jim felt the need to break it. He smiled at Sherlock, a sincere and happy smile and asked; "does this mean we're enemies?"

 

And instead of replying, Sherlock leaned forward and offered his hand.

 

They shook, and John nodded at Irene. "To enemies!".

 

And smiling, she shouted "To enemies!" right back.


End file.
